Course description

This seminar will surface the ways in which LGBTQ+ people and communities have impacted the ways in which mainstream American culture has been shaped by cultural production derived from thinking that challenges heteronormativity in post-World War II America until the validation of same sex marriage in 2014 Through the lenses of queer theory, evolving queer history, Since the emergence of “homosexuality” and “transsexuality” as identities in the late 19th century, queer culture has been presumed to develop in the margins of American life, ancillary to and shaped by heterosexual norms. Yet, the vast majority of queer people in the last hundred years have lived (to at least some degree) in the closet, allowing them to exist in the mainstream while maintaining a distinctly non-normative identity. Thus, to quote bell hooks, allowing them "to bring the margin into the center." In ten meetings over the course of the semester, through lectures, discussions, texts, slides, films, and video, we will explore the ways in which transformative integration of queer designs for living have occurred.

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

DESPERATE SOULS, DARK CITY AND THE LEGEND OF MIDNIGHT COWBOY


If you are interested in gay presentation in popular movies of the 1960s, this is an excellent documentary about one movie in particular, 1969’s Midnight Cowboy. How did a gay director make a movie about a bisexual hustler, include scenes of gay and straight sex, have it star Dustin Hoffman playing completely against type (he was just coming off of The Graduate), with a script written by a blacklisted screenwriter, and sell the idea to a major studio? And then have it receive an X rating and then go on to win the Oscar for best picture? This is much more than a “making of” doc. It seriously explores the tenor of the times and all of the vectors that came together. You can watch it for free on the Kanopy website. Of course, you will probably want to watch the actual movie first, which you can rent on Amazon.com.

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